BKITISH ODONATA IN 1917. 181 



Kingston-on-Thames. /. elegans (two males and a female) was 

 taken in July at Moreton in Cheshire (Standen) for the Lancashire 

 and Cheshire Fauna records. 



In the New Forest from July 28th to September 11th about 

 seventeen species of dragonflies were met with. At Duck-hole 

 Bog, between Ehinefielil and Wilverley, a female of Si/mjjenum 

 scoticum, Don., was noticed on August 2nd in the process of 

 emerging from the nymph-skin, the wings being only partly ex- 

 panded. Both were brought away, although the imago naturally, 

 under these circumstances, became a cripple; they were put 

 together in formalin It is clear thsit in this instance S. scoticum 

 was breeding in the bog, since it was emerging at the edge of one 

 of the small watery bog-holes. At Briken Wood on August 12th 

 I saw a partly developed Sympetruni striolatum. Charp., that had 

 met with a misfortune in emerging and fallen alive into the water. 

 Near it was the empty nymph-skin, which, with the cripple, I 

 placed in formalin. Since such chances as these constitute one 

 of the methods of identifying dragonfly nymphs, the skin and 

 its late occupant should always be secured when the opportunity 

 offers. 



At the shallow " shade-pond " at the Apsley Passage of Ober- 

 water I took on August 5th a female GompJntfi rnluatissiiuKs, 

 Linn. — a very late date for the species. She appeared to be 

 ovipositing, i)ut as I wished to be certain of a capture, I did not 

 ascertain. I could find no eggs, however, when eviscerating the 

 specimen previous to setting it. It seemed quite fresh, and may 

 possibly have been an abnormally late emergence. Two days 

 later at the same pond I took a nice male Orthetrum cancellatum, 

 Linn., of which I had previously taken but one specimen in the 

 Foreet (in Dames Slough Inclosure). I have more than once 

 seen L. depressa at this pond ; possibly some might have been 

 unsuspected examples of the scarcer species. 



On August 7th, at Duck-hole Bog, I took two male Agrum 

 mercuriale, Charp., and saw no others. They should not be over 

 or even scarce by that date ; but those were all I was able to find 

 in two days' search, so I concluded that the rains had played 

 havoc with them. I could find no trace of Ischnura pumiUo, 

 Charp., at all during my stay in the Forest. P. pennipcs and 

 Pyirliusoma tenellum, VilL, were common enough. 



Dragonflies. with their prey in a recognisable condition, were 

 secured on three occasions. At Blackwater on August 9th a 

 female Cordidegaster anmdatus, Latr., had captured a male 

 Humble-bee, Bomhiis lucorum, Linn. So intent was it on its 

 meal that I almost caught as it flew by. It immediately settled 

 on a bush J whence I was able to take it by its wings ; and it was 

 a bright morning too. On two previous occasions I had taken 

 this species with its prey— in each case a wasp. Again, on 

 August 31st, I captured the same species (a male) with its prey 



